Akira Kaneda Production Cel Setup with Key Master Background (Tokyo Movie Shinsha, 1988)....

Description

Akira Kaneda Production Cel Setup with Key Master Background (Tokyo Movie Shinsha, 1988). "When you go into a corner, lean like you're trying to kill yourself. Watch!" "What're you doing?!" "Cornering, man!" Tetsuo's memories come flooding back in the final climactic moments of the post-apocalyptic sci-fi masterpiece Akira. This is a spectacular and elaborate Key Master setup from the sequence featuring Kaneda on his iconic red motorcycle, seen at the 1:52:48 mark of the film. This piece can be seen on page 25 of the German Film Institute's gallery exhibition book Ga-Netchu! The Manga Anime Syndrome. Featuring multiple cels and a layered background rendered masterfully in gouache on two sheets of background board, this stunning piece measures an overall 17" x 10.75". Attributed to art director Toshiharu Mizutani, these vivid and rich futuristic urban backgrounds are a defining feature of the film, and complete Key Master setups like this one are extraordinarily rare. In fact, the studio Tokyo Movie Shinsha nearly discarded all production artwork from Akira to conserve space, before it was salvaged at the last second by its North American distribution company Streamline Pictures for the cost of shipping. At the Streamline headquarters, they even found that original backgrounds like this one had been used as packing materials! This unbelievably rare piece overall shows minor handling and edge wear from normal studio use, and the condition is Very Good.
From the Glad Museum Collection.


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